Home Malware Programs Potentially Unwanted Programs (PUPs) My StartPage

My StartPage

Posted: April 11, 2018

Threat Metric

Threat Level: 2/10
Infected PCs: 72
First Seen: November 13, 2014
OS(es) Affected: Windows

The My StartPage is a browser add-on affiliated with the website Mystartpage.net. According to this add-on's description on the Chrome Store, the My StartPage is meant to help users navigate the Web better and swifter by providing them with a new tab page that packs more features and links than the default new tab pages that most Web browsers use. While this is somewhat true, the My StartPage is not associated with a reputable company so that the way it works might change at any time, and you might not get the services that you were promised. Users who opt to install this extension will be asked to allow it to replace their Chrome New Tab with Mystartpage.net – a harmless change which, however, might not always lead to a better Web browsing experience.

The page that the My StartPage promotes hosts a search field powered by DuckDuckGo, as well as a collection of bookmarks to a broad range of popular websites related to games, social media, job boards, weather services, business portals, streaming services and various other categories. While this might be useful, your Web browser has bookmarks out-of-the-box, and you can store your favorites pages there without utilizing 3rd-party browser extensions.

The My StartPage is considered to be a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP), which means that its removal is not mandatory since it does not pose a threat. If you, however, wish to dispose of the My StartPage and revert the changes it made, then you could do this either manually or with the help of specialized PC security tools.

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